Exercise-Induced Lactate and Cognitive Function (ExLBC)

Summary

A single bout of exercise can rapidly improve cognitive functions including memory, attention, and executive functions, which help us navigate through everyday life. However, we do not fully understand the mechanism behind this process. A promising candidate mechanism is lactate, which was previously considered merely a waste product of our muscles during exercise. It is now recognized as an important molecule that is used by the brain as an energy source. Studies have shown that increases in lactate during exercise are positively related to improved cognitive function after completion of exercise. Another potential mechanism involves the increase in neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following exercise. The increase in lactate and BDNF during exercise may be connected to cause these cognitive improvements.

However, because lactate increases with higher exercise intensities, we currently do not know how lactate specifically impacts brain health. To address this, muscle and blood lactate concentrations can be experimentally manipulated during exercise using sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) supplementation and will allow us to explore how lactate specifically affects brain function.

The purpose of this project is to investigate the effect of exercise-induced lactate on BDNF and cognition following oral NaHCO3 supplementation in young adults. We hypothesize that BDNF levels will be higher, and cognition will be improved in executive function, visuospatial memory, and working memory in the NaHCO3 condition due to higher plasma lactate during exercise compared to placebo.

Conditions

• Cognition
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Lactate
• Exercise

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

Ingestion of gelatin capsules containing 0.4 g/kg body weight of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) followed by 90 minutes of rest. Continuous high intensity cycling to be performed following 90-minute resting measures.

OTHER

Placebo (Sodium Chloride)

Ingestion of gelatin capsules containing 0.4 g/kg body weight of sodium chloride (NaCl) followed by 90 minutes of rest. Continuous high intensity cycling to be performed following 90-minute resting measures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McMaster University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jeremy J Walsh, PhD · McMaster University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-02-10

Primary Completion

2025-07-30

Completion

2025-09-20

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations